Celia Gaze: Endorsing conscious celebration and speaking at the first Lancashire TEDx Talk

In 2013 Celia Gaze founded The Wellbeing Farm, a place for celebration in Edgworth with a focus on environment and nature.

Following burnout from her director role in the NHS, Celia knew that it was time to take a step back and start focusing on the important things in life: the people and the planet. The Wellbeing Farm is Celia’s way of helping others take stock of this, providing them with the space to celebrate in a way that has meaning to them. The farm’s incredible surroundings and animals are on hand to help people connect to nature during their celebrations.

A popular wedding venue, corporate event and personal celebrations space The Wellbeing Farm is a “place where fun meets sustainability and celebrations make an impact.” It was shortly after launch that the farm went viral with its bow-tied llama offering for weddings and the journey really started for Celia.

The award-winning business has gone from strength to strength, gaining B Corp status in 2022, and over the years winning a number of incredible awards including the Lancashire Tourism Awards for Ethical, Responsible & Sustainable Tourism Award and earlier this year the TripAdvisor Travellers Choice. Celia herself has also been awarded many accolades in her role as its founder and CEO.

The focus on nature and sense of self has been an incredible journey for Celia and her team. It was understood from early on that Celia would provide a place of calm within an eco-friendly package, but Celia’s journey since the early days of 2013 has also been one of consciousness, and that is the focus of the business now.

Couples, families and businesses choosing The Wellbeing Farm for their celebration or event are making a conscious decision to choose a sustainable and ethical location. It is this consciousness that Celia says sets the business apart from any other. And it’s the conscious choices that Celia has made that help that along too, choosing to focus on environment ahead of business, and creating a place that really matters to both the people celebrating as well as the team members who help Celia run it.

Celia’s focus on employee wellbeing is what helped her gain the Hospitality Leader Award at The Business Desk North West Leadership Awards earlier this year, followed by Employer of the Year in the British Farming Awards.

Celia emphasises the importance of employee wellbeing when organising the tailored, memorable summer parties that employees look forward to, and that demonstrate that wellbeing ‘begins at home’.

She says, “Happy workers go the extra mile. We care for our staff and want other companies to enjoy their parties and so that all begins with how we treat our own staff.”

“We believe businesses can host the best parties and invite their employees’ families to corporate socials here, which help build community and foster empathy at work. Corporate parties break down barriers and improve collaboration.

“Inviting families sends a powerful message: “You matter, and so do your supporters.”

The Wellbeing farm celebrated its 12th anniversary in March this year, with the launch of the world’s first Conscious Celebration Badge – a mark of sustainability for businesses that want to adopt more environmentally friendly practices.

Celia also celebrated by launching the first National Conscious Day on March 13th and is encouraging everyone, from individuals to schools and businesses to participate in future years. There are four pillars to Conscious Day, which include:

  • Sustainability: reducing harm to the planet and adopting eco-conscious habits.
  • Inclusivity: to advocate for diverse, equitable, and fair communities.
  • Purpose: to align business and life decisions with deeper values.
  • Impact: to take meaningful steps that leave a lasting legacy

In addition to this, and the award wins for the venue and Celia over the last 12 months, the Celebration of Life package was announced in June. This package aims to reframe traditional funerals, helping those who have lost someone to talk about death instead of skirting the subject, turning the event held after the death into a fun and happy occasion rather than a sad event. This is an idea that is already in place in many parts of the world and Celia believes Lancashire should be no different, but it will require a conscious effort to challenge the traditions of the Victorian past and lean into something new.

The focus of consciousness is important to Celia, who has recently embarked on a retreat and a Scottish road trip to help regroup and refocus ahead of the next exciting step in her career, talking at TEDx Scarisbrick.

After officially joining the speaker lineup at TEDx Scarisbrick on Saturday, September 13, Celia commented: “I am beyond excited and proud to be selected. As someone who once worked summer shifts at the Scarisbrick Hotel, Southport, never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d return to that same area one day… not with a tray of drinks in my hand, but to stand on the TEDx red dot and share an idea that’s lived in my heart for years.

“I’ll be taking to the stage alongside an incredible group of creatives, thinkers, and changemakers, all exploring the TEDx Scarisbrick theme of ‘navigating the edge of possibility’.”

It’s all systems go for the entrepreneur as she takes on TEDx, continues to provide incredible experiences and is in the running for more awards, including this year’s Lancashire Tourism Awards. Not to mention, a podcast on the horizon too!

 

For more information about Conscious Day, visit the website https://consciousday.co.uk/

Visit the Wellbeing Farm’s website: https://thewellbeingfarm.co.uk/

Find out more about TEDx Scarisbrick https://www.tedxscarisbrick.com/